Quezon City molecular lab passes DOH proficiency test

MANILA, Philippines — The Quezon City molecular laboratory will soon be operational after it passed the proficiency test conducted by the Department of Health (DOH), the city government said yesterday.

The molecular laboratory passed the test after it obtained perfect scores during the verification of test results conducted by the DOH-Research Institute for Tropical Medicine.

The laboratory is only waiting for a license to operate in order for it to officially start operations.

Mayor Joy Belmonte welcomed the development, saying the molecular laboratory will help enhance the city government’s fight against the coronavirus.

“Through this laboratory, we can now process test results faster, thus allowing us to act quickly on the isolation and treatment of patients,” she said.

“We will be able to conduct contract tracing faster to prevent further spread of the virus in our communities,” she added.

City epidemiology and disease surveillance unit head Rolly Cruz said the fast turnaround time provided by the molecular laboratory will be a huge boost to the city’s community testing program.

Quezon City COVID-19 Task Force head Joseph Juico said the approval of the molecular laboratory would mean less expense for the city as it would no longer have to pay private hospitals and laboratories for the test.